


another kind of homecoming

by starksparkcr



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Endgame Speculation, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Other, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Tony Stark Gives Him One, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Whump, irondad and spideyson, peter parker gives him one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-05 03:32:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18357737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starksparkcr/pseuds/starksparkcr
Summary: the one in which tony is looking at a picture of him and peter in the parker’s apartmentedit: that’s not actually what happens so uhh this is not compliant with endgame





	another kind of homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> this was written in about 30 minutes after i first saw the new trailer. i kind of hate it, but there’s a serious lack of fics based on this, so i thought ‘what the hell’ and it’s here now. enjoy
> 
> keep in mind that this is barely edited, was originally a free write, and doesn’t have any capitalization. if that bothers you, just piss off haha <3

tony’s car comes to a slow stop in front of the apartment building. to say he was anxious for what was about to ensue would be an understatement. but he has to do it. alone. that’s all he ever is anymore. alone.

 

climbing the seven flights of stairs leading to his destination is like a punishment. it‘s forcing him to think about what he is going to say; forcing him to think about not crying after what he is about to say. the thought of that is almost impossible.

 

tony holds a hesitant hand on the door, feeling distant memories of doing this nearly two years ago. he wishes he could go back in time. he’d rather just now be meeting peter than having to announce hisde— disappearance.

when he finally brings his knuckles down onto the wood, may answers immediately, welcoming him inside. tony is again distantly reminded of that time almost two years ago, only now may is in disarray. tony can’t help but grimace. her hair looks as though it hasn’t been combed in days and her makeup is smudged as though she‘s been crying. tony thinks perhaps this is exactly the case. just like it is with himself.

 

may looks up at him with hopeful eyes, and tony can’t help but avert his own. “may. i’m so sorry. i tried to protect him, i tried so hard, but there was nothing i could do.” tony stops speaking for a second needing to catch his breath. tears are stinging his eyes, but he has to be strong for may. may who is covering her mouth to prevent the sobs from escaping as even more tears roll down her ever-stained cheeks.

 

“i tried to send him home, but he latched on to the ship, and by then it was too late. i didn’t have a way to send him home safely. to you. safe. he was one of the ones who, after the snap, you know, they disappeared.” he shifts his gaze up, and may nods in understanding.

 

“and i would love to say he didn’t feel it, but he could. he fell right into my arms and he was begging me, begging me not to let him go; and i tried, may, i tried so hard to hold him together but there was nothing i could—“ his breath hitches, halting his rambling. he had been so worked up that he hadn’t even noticed the tears that were rolling down his cheeks. he swipes at them with the back of hishands.

 

“i’m so sorry may. i didn’t mean to fail you. to fail him. it should’ve been me. it’s all my fault. i was supposed to protect him. god may, i know sorry doesn’t cut it, not in the slightest, but i will get him back, if it’s the last thing i do, i will bring him home.” tony let the tears keep falling as he winces to himself. it was. it was all his fault. it was all his fault that this kid, this kid that couldn’t even legally drive on his own, didn’t get to make it home. it was his fault that his aunt might never get to see his smile again, or his puppy dog eyes. tony doesn’t even register may getting up from the table as he wallowed in self pity.

 

may returns from peter’s room with a picture frame. she sets it down on the table in front of tony. “do you know, peter only has one framed picture in his room. just one. it sits on the corner of his desk, and what picture is it?” tony breaks his gaze from his hands to look at the photo. it’s a picture of himself and peter. he can’t help but let out a watery laugh.

 

the picture had been taken a few weeks after tony offered peter a spot on the avengers team. tony suggested that peter actually start interning for stark industries, and peter was elated. he insisted that they take a picture with the official intern certificate. tony hadn’t noticed that they were both giving bunny ears to each other at the time (even if peter had way overestimated his height), nor had he noticed that the certificate was upside down. he glances over at may again.

 

“tony, he loved having you as a mentor. the minute he came home after that day, he begged me to take him to print out that picture just so he could put it in the frame. he didn’t even print out the right size, so we had to stick copy paper behind it, but god did he love it. you could never fail him. he was so thankful for you, and honestly, i am too. thank you for being there for him. it’s not your fault. there was nothing you could’ve done. thank you for being his hero.” may has composed herself. she isn’t crying anymore. she is holding his hands on the table and looking him in the eyes.

 

“thank you, may. thank you for raising such an incredible young man. and, please, you were his hero, may. you were the person that he loved the most in the entire world. thank you for letting me be a part of his life.” tony swats at his eyes again and picks up the picture frame, glimpsing back up at may. “keep it. he’d want you to have it.” she gives him a small smile and squeezes his hand again.

 

“you mean more to him than you realize. i really think he was starting to—or actually did— see you as a father figure. i know that’s hard for you to hear, it’s hard for me too, but i think it’s the truth.” tony’s eyebrows draw close in confusion and regret. “i don’t— may i didn’t— i’m sorry.” what for, he doesn’t exactly know, he just knows that he shouldn’t be a fatherly figure in the kids life. “no, don’t be. if anyone was going to fill that role after... after ben, i’m glad it was you.” she glances down for a second before letting a small smirk show. “god, never thought i’d say those words.” they both huff out what could be considered a laugh before tony clears his throat.

 

“alright. i uh, i should probably get going. just know that there’s always a place at the tower for you if you ever feel too lonely, and that i’m doing everything in my power to get ou— your kid back to you.” may smiles again and ducks her head. tony shuffles out of his seat and over to the door. “thank you.” it’s so quiet he can barely hear it. “no problem.”

 

but god, it doesn’t feel that way. that was the second hardest thing he’s ever had to do in his life (next to watching peter disappear), and he knows for may, who’s last living relative, who’s kid was gone, that it was even harder. yet she showed compassion and empathy for him. she had just been told her nephew was gone, and she still kept her composure to make tony feel better. ‘no wonder the kid loves her so much,’ tony thinks to himself, ‘she really is amazing.’

 

*

 

it takes less than a year for them to get all of the people who were dusted back. less than a year is a lot longer without the people that you love. each day felt like another three. there were no soft smiles and awkward conversations to diffuse tension between the avengers. there was no overexcited murmurs in the lab about what tony was doing. no spiderlings hanging from the ceiling, stealing food from his dinner plate, or sneaking out to help fight crime. there were dumb science pun t-shirts, no sweaty palms that ached to give any sign of affection to tony, no stuttering that occurred around everyone but him, may, and ned. god did tony miss it every single day.

 

so, the minute that they are able to bring everyone back, tony doesn’t hesitate. he had to see his kid again. peter was asleep for three days after he formed again. three days in a hospital bed connected to every machine bruce and tony could think of, his body still as though it was lifeless. but, when tony held his hand, he could feel warmth and a slight pulse. a sign of life.

 

peter wakes up at precisely 4:32 a.m. while tony is in the room. may had the night shift at the hospital, and tony had assured her that he’d alert her if peter woke up. and woke up he does. screaming. 

 

“please, no!”

 

tony shoots up in an instant.

 

“pete? pete are you up? kid?”

 

“i don’t wanna go, mr. stark. please, please don’t make me.”

 

tony can tell that peter isn’t completely coherent at the moment. taking sweaty hands into his rough ones, tony begins to try to calm peter down.

 

“peter, you’re at the tower. you’re home. i’m not going to let you go anywhere.”

 

tony can see the moment that recognition finally sets into peter’s eyes.

 

“mr. stark?” his voice is croaky and soft, unlike the panicked one from moments before.

 

“yeah, it’s me kid.” a small, fond smile finds its way into his face. “could i— do you think i could hug you, pete?” he knows the normal peter would gladly accept, but this might be the normal peter.

 

but this peter doesn’t seem to mind either as he nods in approval. tony quickly wraps the young boy up into his arms and squeezes him. this was different from the last hug they shared. this time, peter was whole. this time, nothing bad was happening. this time, tony would never let go.

 

“i missed you, pete.” tony starts softly. he pulls back a little to look at peter’s face. tony takes in every detail that he can: the freckles on his cheeks, the small scars from spider-manning, the little mole on his chin, the sparkle in his innocent eyes. he’s really fucking missed his kid. 

 

peter looks back up at him with those wide eyes and tony can tell he was trying not to cry. “i missed you too, mr. stark.” his thin lips curl into a tiny smile and the corners of his eyes crinkle a little bit. tony hugs him harder. 

 

they sit there for a while, just holding each other in their arms. tony had taken one hand off of peter’s back and began combing through hi floppy curls with it. it was something he’s always wanted to do, but never felt like they were close enough to do. they were definitely there now. peter is shaking slightly and tony knows he is crying, but tony has started crying too, so he can’t blame him. besides the muffled sniffs, there’s not another noise to be heard. not until peter asks about may, so tony has to stop hugging him to make a call. it is quite possibly the longest two minutes of his life. (besides when peter was dusted)

 

once tony hangs up the phone and puts it back in his pocket, peter seems ready to talk. he clears his throat and pats the spot next to him where tony had been sitting before. tony happily obliges.  

 

“no offense  mr. stark, because you saved me and all, but you look like shit.” peter quirks a smile, and tony can’t help but smirk back. 

 

“that’s because i’ve been up all night looking after your comatose ass. and language.” tony jokes back, glad peter is well enough to joke. of course tony knows he has psychological issues, but the fact that he is able to crack jokes is a good sign. 

 

“you saying language after cussing doesn’t exactly have the effect you want it to, mr. stark. but, fine. you look like crap.” 

 

“oh come on kid, i think we’re at first name basis here. we were literally just crying together five minutes ago.” tony’s smile wasn’t there anymore and peter’s had faded into a frown. 

 

“i’m sorry, mr— tony. i didn’t mean to- to cry, but i don’t even know how long i was gone. i don’t know what happened. i don’t know who all went missing. all i know is that i felt it all. i felt myself turning to dust, i felt my body ripping itself apart. all i have known for the past, what, year?” tony shrugs and nods. close enough. “all i’ve known is the color orange. when you go, well, wherever i was, your body is gone. you are just a floating orb. you have no hands, no legs, no feet, no anything. you’re just an orb of light with a voice and a way to see and hear. i could see all of the others who got dusted. they were all just orbs. and they were all screaming. it was so loud, tony, so so loud. and then i woke up in here,” he motions around to the room. “and it’s all dark and white, not burning orange, and you’re here, and i have a body and hands, and i can feel. i didn’t know what to do. i’m sorry for freaking out. i just, i feel so scattered, you know?” 

 

it takes a moment for tony to speak. he never expected peter to talk about what had happened, especially right after the fact, and especially not to him. but, he had, and he was now looking up at tony with bloodshot, lightless eyes, and tears running down his cheeks. that wasn’t what tony had thought it was like. suddenly, his heart grew ten sizes for peter, and it was swelling out of his chest. it had to be. there was no way his heart could hurt this bad if it wasn’t. and man did it hurt. his chest was aching. 

 

“yeah, i know, kiddo. but, you’re okay now. i’m so sorry it took me so long to get you back, but you’re here, and i’m never letting you go again. i’m so sorry you had to go through that. you of all people.” tony lets out a contradicting chuckle. “you didn’t deserve it. i know it’s hard, but i’m going to do everything in my power to make you feel safe and okay again. it will take time for you to feel normal again, and that’s okay, but you will and i know it. you are one of the strongest humans i’ve ever met, peter, and for the days when you don’t feel strong, i’ll be there, may will be there, ned will be there, that scary girlfriend of yours will be there.” tony looks over at peter with hopeful eyes, wanting to make him feel okay again. peter blushes and gives a defensive look, so tony knows he’s succeeded.

 

“she is not my girlfriend!“ he squeaks out. “and her name is mj.” 

 

“i know she’s not kiddo, i’m just messing with you.”

 

peter glares at him before muttering an “oh okay, sure you were.”

 

”i was. i miss messing with you. i miss  hanging out in the lab with you. i miss going to the movies and getting food after. i miss playing catch with you and you doing weird tricks to catch the ball.” peter rolls his eyes, but he smiles all the same. “i miss pranking the rest of the team with you. i miss you getting into arguments with steve. i miss coming up with weird excuses as to how you got injured to tell all your classmates. i miss you getting into mischief and dum-e or u ratting you out.” 

 

tony takes a second and realizes they are both crying. again. tony swears he’s never cried this much. “i missed you too, dad.” peter says it with slight sarcasm, but tony can hear the sincerity behind it. he can’t  help but bring peter into another hug, because his kid is here. he is home. and he had called him dad. 

“i like that name, kid. i-“ tony hesitates for a moment before deciding ‘what the hell?’ his kid is home and it‘s about damn time he tells him how he feels. 

 

”i love you, kiddo.”

 

”i love you too, dad.” 

 

and when may comes into the compound after a two hour drive to see her kid and tony stark curled up together on a hospital bed, well, you can count on the fact that tony got a new picture and frame for father’s day. 


End file.
